Police in Hubballi and Belagavi confirmed that bomb threats emailed to the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) and Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) were hoaxes following exhaustive searches by bomb squads on Monday. The threats, which caused significant police activity at both municipal offices, were found to be false alarms after detection teams found no explosive devices.
At approximately 11:35 am, an email with the subject line ‘Bomb blast@HDMC’ was sent to the HDMC Commissioner from a user identified as ‘Wei Smith’. The message warned that a bomb would explode at 1:11 pm. HDMC staff immediately alerted the police, who arrived with the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) and sniffer dogs. HDMC Commissioner Rudresh Ghali confirmed that the premises were thoroughly searched and no bomb was found. The email also contained pro-Khalistan slogans and references to the Khalistan National Army Babbar Khalsa (Parmar-Canada). Additionally, the sender threatened to detonate a bomb at an event featuring Diljit Dosanjh in Bengaluru on November 29, at Madavara Metro Station in Bengaluru on the same day, and at Amitabh Bachchan’s house on November 27. Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner Bhushan Borase stated that a case has been registered at the cybercrime police station.
Similarly, the BCC received an email warning that a bomb would go off at 1 pm. Staff informed the police immediately upon opening the mail. A team headed by Police Inspector J M Kalimirchi, along with the Scientific Aid Unit, bomb squad, and sniffer dogs, conducted a thorough search of the BCC office premises. BCC Commissioner Kartik M confirmed that no bomb had been planted, describing the threat as a hoax.
